Patent EA-000244-B1 (EA)
Title: Cigarette and heater for use in an electrical smoking system
Inventor: BAGGETT JAMES D JR
IPC: A24F40/20
Filed: 1996-04-19
Abstract: 1. A cigarette (23) comprising a tobacco rod, said tobacco rod (60) comprising a tubular tobacco web (66) and a plug of tobacco (80) disposed within said tubular tobacco web, said tobacco rod having a free end (78) and an opposite end (72), said tubular tobacco web comprising a base web (68) and a layer (70) of tobacco flavour material supported by said base web, said base web adapted to transfer heat from an electrical heating element (37) to said tobacco flavour material, said tobacco rod (60) adapted to operatively receive an electrical heating element (37) alongside said tobacco rod (60) at a location between said free end (78) and said opposite end (72), said plug of tobacco (80) located adjacent said free end, said plug of tobacco being spaced apart from said opposite end so as to define an unfilled space (91) between said plug of tobacco and said opposite end. 2. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said location alongside said tobacco rod is such that said location overlaps at least a portion of said unfilled space (91) and overlaps at least a portion of said plug of tobacco (80). 3. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein said tobacco rod includes a free-flow filter (74) adjacent said opposite end, said free-flow filter being spaced apart from said plug of tobacco (80) so as to define said unfilled space (91) between said free-flow filter and said plug of tobacco. 4. A cigarette and lighter adapted to cooperate as an electrical smoking system, said cigarette comprising a tube of tobacco web, partially filled with cut filler tobacco so as to define a filled tobacco rod portion and an unfilled tobacco rod portion (91), said cigarette (23) and said lighter (25) being mutually arranged so that an electrical heater element of the lighter at least partially superposes at least one of the filled and unfilled tobacco rod portions when the cigarette is in an operative position in said lighter. 5. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said filled tobacco rod portion includes a plug of tobacco, and said electrical heater superposes at lease a portion of said unfilled space and superposes at least a portion of said plug of tobacco when the cigarette is in said operative position in the lighter. 6. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 4 or 5, wherein said cigarette has a free end, said tobacco plug being located adjacent said free end, said cigarette including a tubular element spaced apart from said plug of tobacco so as to define said unfilled tobacco rod portion between said free-flow filter and said plug of tobacco. 7. The cigarette as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein said tubular element (74) is a filter. 8. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said tubular element (74) is constructed from a plasticized tow material. 9. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said free-flow filter (74) is constructed from a molded material. 10. The cigarette as claimed in any preceding Claim, further comprising filter tipping (62) adjacent said opposite end. 11. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 10, wherein said tipping (62) comprises a second free-flow filter (102) adjacent said opposite end, said cigarette further comprising tipping paper (64) attaching said second free-flow filter (102) to said opposite end. 12. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said tipping further comprises a mouthpiece filter plug (104) adjacent said second free-flow filter (102). 13. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said free flow filter (74) of said tobacco rod (66) includes a first passage (75) and said second free-flow filter (102) of said tipping includes a second passage, said first and second passages communicating said unfilled space (91) of said tobacco rod with said mouthpiece filter plug (104), said second passage having a second inside radius greater than a first inside radius of said first passage (75). 14. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said tobacco rod further comprises a backflow filter (200") at said free end. 15. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said plug of tobacco (80b) includes a first portion (320b) adjacent said free end (78b) which has a higher density than a second portion (3l0b) of said plug of tobacco distal from said free end. 16. A cigarette (23) comprising a tobacco rod (60) having a back-flow resistive free end (78) and an opposite end (72), said tobacco rod comprising a tubular tobacco (66) web including a layer of tobacco material (78) a flow constriction (74) operative at said opposite end of said tubular web and tobacco (78, 80) operatively situated adjacent said free end and spaced from said flow constriction, the tobacco comprising cut filler partially filling said tobacco rod so as to define a filled tobacco rod portion and an unfilled tobacco rod portion, said unfilled portion being located adjacent said flow constriction, said tubular web arranged to communicate heat received by said tubular web to said tobacco, said tobacco rod (60) being arranged such that during a puff on said cigarette with an application of heat along a region of said tubular web, at least a portion of the tobacco is caused to release tobacco aerosol which is drawn through said flow constriction. 17. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 16, wherein said flow constriction (74) is defined by a tubular element. 18. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 17, wherein said tubular element comprises a first free-flow filter (74), said first free flow filter defining a first passage (75) therethrough. said cigarette further comprising tipping (62), said tipping including a second tubular free-flow filter (102) located adjacent said first free-flow filter of said tobacco rod, said second tubular free-flow filter defining a second passage therethrough, said first passage of said first free-flow filter being narrower than said unfilled portion (91) of said tobacco rod and narrower than said second passage of said second free-flow filter (102). 19. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 18, wherein said cut filler tobacco forms a back-flow resistive plug. 20. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 19, wherein said portion of said cut filler tobacco (80) is located at said free end (78) and has a density greater than a remainder of said cut filler tobacco distal from said free end. 21. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 20, wherein said tipping (62) further comprises a mouthpiece filter (104) adjacent said second free-flow filter (102). 22. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 20, wherein said tubular web includes a cigarette wrapper (71) about said tobacco rod (60), said tipping attached to said tobacco rod with a tipping paper (64). 23. The cigarette as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein said tobacco or plug of tobacco (80) comprises a cut filler tobacco. 24. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 23, wherein said tobacco or plug of tobacco (80) comprises a blend of cut filler tobacco, said blend comprising a combination of at least two of Bright, Burley and oriental tobaccos. 25. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 23 or 24, wherein said plug of tobacco includes a plug wrap (84) disposed about said cut filler tobacco (80). 26. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 23 or 24, wherein said tobacco (70) is located along an inside surface of said tubular tobacco web (66). 27. The cigarette as claimed in Claim 26, wherein said tobacco rod comprises an overwrap (71) disposed about an outside surface of said tubular tobacco rod or rod portion. 28. A method of improving delivery of smoke from a cigarette (23) operated with an electronic lighter, said cigarette comprising a tubular web (66) having a free end (78), and an opposite end (72), smoke being withdrawable from said opposite end, said method comprising the steps of establishing an unfilled portion along said tubular web at a location adjacent said opposite end and a tobacco filled portion along said tubular web at a location adjacent said free end; and superposing an electrical heater element of said electronic lighter at least partially over said filled portion of said tubular web while activating said electrical heater element so as to cause release of smoke constituents from said tobacco. 29. The method of Claim 28, wherein said superposing step includes superposing said electrical heater element partially over both said filled portion of said tubular web and said unfilled portion of said tubular web while activating said electrical heater element. 30. The method of Claim 28 or 29 further comprising the step of passing said released tobacco constituents through a construction located adjacent said opposite end. 31. A tobacco web adapted to be rolled into a tubular tobacco rod (60) of a cigarette (23) operative with an electrical cigarette lighter (25), said tobacco web comprising a base web (68) and a tobacco material (70) disposed along a first side of said base web; said base web comprising a combination of tobacco fiber and cellulosic fiber, said tobacco fiber and said cellulosic fiber combined at a ratio in the range of approximately 2:1 to 4:1, said base web having a basis weight in a range of approximately 35 to 45 g/m<2>; said tobacco material having at least twice the basis weight of said base web, said tobacco material comprising finely ground tobacco and extracted tobacco solids at a ratio in a range of approximately 3:1 to 9:1, and a humectant at a level of approximately 5% to 20% by weight of said material. 32. The tobacco web as claimed in Claim 31, wherein said tobacco material has a basis weight of approximately three to four times that of said base web. 33. The tobacco web as claimed in Claim 31 or 32, wherein said tobacco material further comprises pectin at a level of up to approximately 2% by weight of said tobacco material. 34. The tobacco web as claimed in Claim 33, wherein said base web comprises approximately 28 g/m<2> tobacco fiber and approximately 12 g/m<2> cellulosic fiber of a wood pulp or flax pulp, or tob